Nashville’s City Council will consider a bill Tuesday night letting drivers with outdated traffic violations pay them off at half the cost.
The bill calls for an “amnesty program” in November, allowing motorists to pay off fines from the last three years at half the outstanding balance. It notes some $26 million in unpaid fines and court costs owed to Metro, as well as its ailing sales tax revenue.
But sponsor Eric Crafton says cash isn’t the reason he’s backing the bill. Crafton says he wants to help drivers who’ve lost their licenses or can’t afford to get out of trouble, because of a mistake or a missed court date.
“I don’t ever think you should base your revenue stream on penalties and fees that you get from your own citizens. And so I’m more interested in getting people where they have a license, where they can go to work, earn a living.”
Crafton says a few judges from general sessions court are helping him work out details on the bill. He says it will cover minor violations like parking tickets or driving with an expired license, but specifies it won’t include fines from drunk or reckless driving.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM